Perfect Timing for Tanev to Crack Vancouver Canucks’ Top-Six

Picking Up Where He Left Off

Chris Tanev may play with the cool patience and poise of a veteran smoker according to Kevin Bieksa, however after turning to health and fitness guru Gary Roberts over the summer the young prospect appears to be in the best shape of his career.

Tanev added ten pounds of muscle over the summer while adhering to Roberts’ notorious organic diet and has looked sharp in the early stages of Canucks camp.

Working out alongside fellow Canucks prospect Cody Hodgson, Tanev appears to have picked up a slight offensive flair to his game over the summer.

While it was only a pre-season goal, Tanev’s tally against a split Calgary Flames team Tuesday proved the youngster is ready to pick up his play right where he left

off during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

If traditional defensive partner Keith Ballard can rejuvenate his game after an important off-season Tanev finds himself in a very strong position to land a permanent role on the Canucks roster, likely on the third defensive pairing.

This scenario would likely leave Aaron Rome on the outside looking in, with the bruising Andrew Alberts left to fill the seventh position. While Tanev has shown great strides recently, the veteran Rome isn’t ready to give up his roster spot either, leaving GM Mike Gillis with a convenient dilemma.

In today’s league, a surplus of NHL calibre defenceman is always a good problem.

With a handful of coming exhibition games to prove he belongs on the big club, Tanev appears poised to find a permanent home in Vancouver, leaving fans to hope and pray the defenceman’s recent success can inspire off-season partner Cody Hodgson to do the same.